AUSTRALIA - The ETF industry must focus on meeting the growing needs of institutional investors, Russell Investments believes.

US firm Prudential Retirement has completed its first longevity reinsurance transaction with UK-based Rothesay Life.

US/UK - Prudential Retirement has completed its first longevity reinsurance transaction with UK-based Rothesay Life.

GLOBAL - Institutional investors are taking far longer to change investment managers or asset allocations than they did before the 2008 financial crisis, research by Mellon Transition Management (MTM) suggests.

GLOBAL - Northern Trust has published its first corporate social responsibility (CSR) report, outlining its actions in 2010 and targets for 2011.

New York Life Investments has launched the Guaranteed Interest Pension Account (GPA) to help corporate plans better manage their near-term liabilities.

US - The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has appointed Réal Desrochers as senior investment officer for its private equity programme.

GLOBAL - Implementing a responsible investment strategy need not be at the expense of strong returns and can actually help pension funds make better investment choices, Swedish pension funds heard.

AUSTRALIA- Two South Australian superannuation funds, the A$1.7bn Local Super and A$2.4bn StatewideSuper, are having "detailed" discussions about merging, the funds have confirmed.

EUROPE - Total assets managed in Europe bounced back to €13.8trn ($19.8trn)at the end of 2010, research from the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) shows.